Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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To perform a narrative review of the current trials examining the use of perioperative ultrasound to diagnose common issues related to the heart, lungs, stomach, and airway. ⋯ Perioperative point-of-care ultrasound is a useful method for the diagnosis of many important perioperative conditions. The impact of this diagnostic approach on patient outcomes however remains to be determined.
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Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is becoming an integral part of anesthesia practice throughout the world. Despite the growing interest in POCUS among trainees and faculty, POCUS training is variable among universities across Canada. This suggests a need for curriculum development and standardization. ⋯ Availability of trained staff anesthesiologists remains a major limitation to curricula implementation in most centres. A National Curriculum should be modeled on the Competency By Design Approach, in line with the CanMEDS 2015 roles, and start with a focus on basic POCUS modalities and applications. Guidance for the training and certification of POCUS among practicing anesthesiologists is lacking.
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Ultrasound has increasingly become a clinical asset in the hands of the anesthesiologist and intensivist who cares for children. Though many applications for ultrasound parallel adult modalities, children as always are not simply small adults and benefit from the application of ultrasound to their management in various ways. Body composition and size are important factors that affect ultrasound performance in the child, as are the pathologies that may uniquely afflict children and aspects of procedures unique to this patient population. ⋯ Use of ultrasound is growing in clinical areas where time and diagnostic accuracy are crucial. Implementation of ultrasound at the bedside will require institutional support of education and credentialing. It is only natural that the pediatric anesthesiologist and intensivist will lead the incorporation of ultrasound in the future practice of these specialties.
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Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) involves the bedside use of ultrasound to answer specific diagnostic questions and to assess real-time physiologic responses to treatment. Although POCUS has become a well-established resource for emergency and critical care physicians, anesthesiologists are still working to obtain POCUS skills and to incorporate them into routine practice. This review defines the benefits of POCUS to anesthesia practice, identifies challenges to establishing POCUS in routine anesthesia care, and offers solutions to help guide its incorporation going forward. ⋯ Presently, our specialty requires consensus by expert stakeholders to address issues of competence, certification, development of standards and terminology, and the management of unexpected diagnoses. To promote POCUS competency in our discipline, we support its incorporation into anesthesiology curricula and training programs and the continuing professional development of POCUS-related activities at a national level.
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This narrative review summarizes the current knowledge on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) of gastric contents in order to inform an assessment of aspiration risk and guide anesthetic management at the bedside. An I-AIM framework (Indication, Acquisition, Interpretation, and Medical decision-making) is used to summarize and organize the content areas. This narrative review spans the breadth of the literature on pediatric and adult subjects as well as on special patient populations such as obstetric and severely obese individuals. Areas that need further investigation include the diagnostic accuracy of gastric POCUS from a Bayesian perspective and the impact of POCUS on patient outcomes, healthcare economics, and educational curricula.